SPRINGFIELD — The use of art to express feelings of grief is the reason for the second annual exhibit of art made by participants in the peer-support programs offered by Rick’s Place in Wilbraham.
The exhibit, “Colors of Grief,” opens at the William Blizard Art Gallery at Springfield College on Monday, Nov. 11. November is Children’s Grief Awareness Month.
Betsy Flores, the program director at Rick’s Place, explained to Reminder Publishing, the exhibit will close at Springfield College on Nov. 15, but will then travel to the Agawam Library for the rest of the month, followed by time at the Ludlow Library in December, the Wilbraham Library in January 2025, and finally to the Wistariahurst Museum in Holyoke for February 2025.
“There will be lots of opportunity to see it,” Flores said.
According to information supplied by the nonprofit, Rick’s Place “aims to have this event serve a dual purpose: raising greater awareness about the profound impact of death, grief, and loss on youth and families, and providing a platform for individuals to tell their stories through art. With over 5,000 children in Hampden County experiencing the loss of a parent or sibling, Rick’s Place, a nonprofit organization, extends its helping hand to youth between the ages of 5 and 18, along with their caregivers, who have confronted death. The free peer grief programs, both on-site and in local schools, help youth in Western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut feel supported, understood, and less alone in their grief.”
Flores said the programs at Rick’s Place help children feel less isolated as they deal with grief. She noted that everyone’s grief is different but that people undergoing grief “share that loss.”
Flores said the exhibit contains about 50 pieces and includes poetry, painting and sculpture. Each work reflects the artists’ emotional journey.
“I think this is going to be a really beautiful exhibit,” she said.
Flores added that visitors can participate in a Memory Wall Installation by adding a photo of a departed loved one or leave a note about that person.
The gallery at Springfield College is in Blake Hall, 316 Wilbraham Ave., on the second floor. The gallery is open daily 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
For more information about Rick’s Place, go to ricksplacema.org.
